Although baby boomers currently consume more healthcare resources than any other generation, the shift to value-based care and preventive medicine means healthcare providers need to better understand and reach millennial patients as well.

Nuance communications — a provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers — conducted a survey of more than 3,000 healthcare consumers and published the resulting data in a SlideShare presentation.

The survey results give a snapshot of how providers will need to support both millennials and baby boomer patients, who have very different expectations and preferences for the delivery of care.

Highlighted below are three findings from the survey.

Millennials are more social than many other generations. As such, 70 percent of the young millennials (aged 18-24) surveyed said they chose their primary care physician based on recommendations from family and friends, compared to only 41 percent of patients over the age of 65.

While the majority (51 percent) of patients 65 and older will tell their physicians directly if they are unsatisfied with their care, millennials are more likely to tell their friends if they were unsatisfied by their experience (60 percent).

Millennials are also much more likely compared to other age groups to turn to online sources related to healthcare references. More than half (54 percent) of millennials said they search online for health information before seeing a physician and rely on physician ratings; whereas less than 40 percent of baby boomers reported using online resources.

"As patients play a much greater role in determining how, when and where they receive care, organizations that don't stay closely connected to their patients won't be able to survive," said Trace Devanny, president of Nuance's healthcare division. "Providers need to better understand the populations they serve and the threats to their business to remain competitive in their market and best manage their patients' needs."